---------------------------------------------------------- FREE for JOIN Indonesia Daily News Online via EMAIL: go to: http://www.indo-news.com/subscribe.html - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - Please Visit Our Sponsor http://www.indo-news.com/cgi-bin/ads1 ---------------------------------------------------------- Tens of thousands attend Jakarta political party prayer meeting JAKARTA, July 25 (AFP) - Tens of thousands of people flocked to a Moslem mass prayer meeting in central Jakarta Sunday which brought together the leaders of the country's rival political parties, witnesses said. The meeting in the open-air Senayan sports stadium was organized by the Nadhlatul Ulama (NU), the country's biggest Moslem organization, as the parties were wrestling over support for rival presidential candidates. "The event is to unite political party leaders... not to support any one presidential candidate," said Manarul Hidayat, one of the NU organizers. "We want all political parties to be able to have friendly relations." Among the party leaders addressing the crowd were Megawati Sukarnoputri, whose opposition Indonesian Democracy Party-Struggle (PDIP) came in first in June 7 parliamentary polls. Offering thanks that the polls had been peaceful, Megwati told the crowd the "high hopes of the people" had been fulfilled, and that "a political party victory was a victory for the people." "Therefore let us celebrate with humility since there is a lot for us to do in pursuing justice and truth," Megawati said. Akbar Tanjung, of the ruling Golkar Party, which took second place in the June polls, thanked NU leader Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid for inviting him. "We came with a spirit of love for Islam and the country. Golkar is ready to enter the general assembly along with the other political parties," Tanjung said, referring to the general assembly of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR). The 700-member MPR will meet in November to elect a new president and vice president, but they are not bound by the poll results and the parties are currently locked in a tussle for support from smaller parties. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 25 Jul 1999 jam 08:39:10 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
